Features

Norton ES400 Electro – a bike you must ride It is unbelievable how long it took to get the whole industry up to speed with such an idea as electric start. Even those manufacturers that were still around as the 60s lurched into the 70s didn’t really have the drop of it. The early problems…

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1956 Manx helmet from J Compton, Sons & Webb Trials riders notwithstanding – where the cloth cap reigned supreme for years after the helmet law – there was a reticence on the public’s part to wear a helmet for fear of being labelled ‘racer’. Gradually though the idea of having something between the hairstyle and…

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Iconic Yamaha frame The system seemed similar to that of Vincent and some pre-Second World War Matchless machines but had the benefit of more understanding of how suspension worked. Where the Vincent version transmitted load to the very short backbone of the Series D machines, Yamaha’s version put the load at the steering head. Benefits…

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Honda CB450 rocked the motorcycle market when launched Originally nicknamed The Black Bomber, the Honda CB450 stood convention on its head, gave it a slap and made it wake up and smell the coffee. This is the machine that proved unequivocally that the Japanese were not limited to small bikes. The establishment was so worried…

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The AJS star touched a foot down only once in six days in an observed section – on Grey Mare’s Ridge, high above the aluminium-smelting town of Kinlochleven. The trials world clamoured for replicas of this superb AJS. After all, a bike that could win the Scottish was going to make a superstar out of…

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Rennsport BMW Pre-Second World War the stunning supercharged BMWs had wowed the world but FIM regs forbade forced induction so BMW alternated between fuel injection and carburettors on its works machines. This development led, in October 1953, to a production racer launched at the Frankfurt Show. Named the RS54 – for Rennsport 1954 – it…

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There is a certain satisfaction to riding a pioneer machine… The Pioneer is so important to the history of motorcycling we’ll take a look at not only the first Pioneer Run in 1930 but also the 1914 Old Crocks Trial that could arguably be the starting point for the whole old bike movement. Organised on…

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Honda CBX750 Following hot on the heels of the VF750S/Sabre debacle the Big Aitch ran back to the safety of its security blanket in the guise of the ubiquitous air-cooled four cylinder machines that had stood the company in good stead since 1969. However, on this occasion Honda didn’t simply rehash an old model; the…

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Now when was it that? (Book two) Links to all the articles are below. See also the first and third and fourth online 'books'. Originally written by OBM founder Ken Hallworth and recrafted for the bookazine series by Jeff Clew Now when was it that? was a popular, readable source of titbits from the motorcycle…

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Don’t dismiss the humble step-through The sale of modern scooters, twist and go’s etc. proves there’s still a confirmed market for them and with the price of petrol these days thinking small might just be the clever option. These oft overlooked bikes are ideal tackle for short journeys, the odd bit of shopping, their original…

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